Why is soccer even shown in America?

[DuffMan]

I don't get this. While there are many good soccer players from South and Central America, and even a few from Sub-Saharan Africa, the game is still dominated in most part by Western Europeans, which is a pretty damned wealthy part of the world. The game is also popular in other wealthy, industiralized nations like Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, etc.

Also, you don't just need a ball to play soccer. If you are going to play sandlot, yeah, you need a ball. However, if you are playing sandlot football, you also only need a ball. If you are playing pickup basketball, all you need is a ball.

However, if you want to play on a real competitive level, you need extra equipment.

The reason other countries excel at soccer is because the kids grow up watching it and they aspire to be it. In the US, our best athletes do not grow up dreaming of being soccer players. If we had our best athletes in the World cup, and they spent their lives dreaming of being soccer stars, we would dominate.

Imagine if guys like Lebron James, Joe Mauer, or Ladanian Tomlinson dedicated their lives and talents to soccer.

The difference is in football you need a wealth of knowledge about the sport to have a sand lot game. In basketball you also need a flat hard surface and a backboard and hoop.

The basic rules of soccer are easy to grasp. They are don't use your hands, don't go out of bounds, don't push/shove/trip the opponent, and if you get the ball stolen from you and or get so much as touched by an opposing player roll on the ground while screaming bloody murder and hope someone calls a foul.

 

[GhostofBTT]

The difference is in football you need a wealth of knowledge about the sport to have a sand lot game. In basketball you also need a flat hard surface and a backboard and hoop.

The basic rules of soccer are easy to grasp. They are don't use your hands, don't go out of bounds, don't push/shove/trip the opponent, and if you get the ball stolen from you and or get so much as touched by an opposing player roll on the ground while screaming bloody murder and hope someone calls a foul.

You need a wealth of knowledge to have a sandlot football game?

I take it you have never had the task of supervising an elementary school recess before. The basic rules of football are easy to grasp: If you have the ball, try not to get hit. If you don't have the ball, run to the ball.

You are either over thinking sandlot football, or you honestly don't understand how intricate soccer is.

 

[hawkfan2679]

and if you get the ball stolen from you and or get so much as touched by an opposing player roll on the ground while screaming bloody murder and hope someone calls a foul.

This is my biggest problem with soccer. I don't find it that fun to watch, but I respect the fact that the athletes are very skilled, have to be in great shape, and that there is a lot of strategy involved. There is whining and crying for calls, in the NBA especially, but the flopping that takes place on "the pitch" is the worst I've seen.

Other than that, I'll cheer for the US no matter what the national team is doing, whether it's soccer, curling, or jousting. I just might not watch every minute of every game or even every game.

 

[tweeterhawk]

The difference is in football you need a wealth of knowledge about the sport to have a sand lot game. In basketball you also need a flat hard surface and a backboard and hoop.

The basic rules of soccer are easy to grasp. They are don't use your hands, don't go out of bounds, don't push/shove/trip the opponent, and if you get the ball stolen from you and or get so much as touched by an opposing player roll on the ground while screaming bloody murder and hope someone calls a foul.

Don't judge soccer by the Italians.

 

[DuffMan]

You need a wealth of knowledge to have a sandlot football game?

I take it you have never had the task of supervising an elementary school recess before. The basic rules of football are easy to grasp: If you have the ball, try not to get hit. If you don't have the ball, run to the ball.

You are either over thinking sandlot football, or you honestly don't understand how intricate soccer is.

Yes you do. I had a coworker from England that I tried to explain football to once. Even in it's basic element you have to decribe, the line of scrimage, what a down is, the end zone, the punt, the pass, the run, blocking, tackling. Then we get to penalties... yes the offence gets penalized for holding but the defense really doesnt unless its a DB that's doing the holding, unless its a run play then its ok, you can block above the waste here and here but not there...

Not to say it's superior to any other sport but football by far and away is the most complex major sport in the world. Watch your local 7 year old play a pick up football game, it's astonishing how much game knowledge they need to play a pickup game.

Soccer on the other hand can be explained in less than five minutes. There's hands, offside, tackling someone improperly, and that's about it.

 

[GhostofBTT]

Yes you do. I had a coworker from England that I tried to explain football too once. Even in it's basic element you have to decribe, the line of scrimage, what a down is, the end zone, the punt, the pass, the run, blocking, tackling. Then we get to penalties... yes the offence gets penalized for holding but the defence really doesnt unless its a DB that's doing the holding, unless its a run play then its ok, you can block above the waste here and here but not there...

Not to say it's superior to any other sport but football by far and away is the most complex major sport in the world. Watch your local 7 year old play a pick up football game, it's astonishing how much game knowledge they need to play a pickup game.

Soccer on the other hand can be explained in less than five minutes. There's hands, offside, tackling someone improperly, and that's about it.

You are describing organized football. Sandlot football doesn't have penalties and punts, or often, blocking.

I don't imagine it would be hard for an Englishman to have trouble understanding American football, since it is basically rugby minus the forward pass with a bunch of standing around.

 

[SEPHawk23]

When you watch the world cup you get hooked. I learned last world cup.

 

[WestCoastHawk]

This statement is wrong in just about every way possible.

<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/pXfkeB09vso&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/pXfkeB09vso&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>

<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/CNaz_4vhWiA&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/CNaz_4vhWiA&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwW4FC8mEaI]YouTube - All Rise Productions : Jim Rome Hates Soccer[/ame]

 

[racerhawk]

Unlike CWB, who has to copy and paste his soccer hate because he can't think of anything fresh or original, I wrote my own pro-soccer essay in 2008. Enjoy an excerpt...

Club Pen15: Do it with your foot this time

However, fat guys have no place in soccer. They are probably the finest athletes on the planet. Now, American sports fans are hesitant to accept this. We tend to think we have the best athletes in the world, despite the fact that we routinely get our ***** handed to by foreigners in sports we invented. Plus, soccer just seems so European or South American for Americans to enjoy. I find this a travesty.

Europe and South America have several things to offer us besides great sports, and you probably don't even know about it. Both continents have fully embraced the concept of beach nudity, for example. If you hate soccer just because it is foreign, I say you have to stop jerking off to Shakira videos.

So I say to you, average American, give soccer a chance. Watch a soccer match side-by-side with a NASCAR race, and tell me which sport has the most excitement. If you can tolerate 3 hours of left turns with an occasional wreck, you can tolerate 3 hours of slide tackles with an occasional goal where a guy does the robot dance afterwards.

I can understand why many Americans don't like to watch soccer, and I absolutely accept that. I rarely watch soccer, for what it's worth.

However, some posters have compared the athletic ability (and possibly fitness?) of baseball players to soccer players. That's absolutely hilarious and obviously wrong. Baseball players are certainly very skilled, and they have abilities that fit their positions (sprinting speed, raw power, or a cannon of an arm). However, there are some big fat dudes who play baseball. In no sport would they be considered "physically fit." Baseball has a requirement for short bursts of power, skill, and reaction time. However, they literally stand or sit for nearly the entire game (save the slog jog out to their positions and back).

Soccer is fairly boring to me, but those guys are extremely fit. They can sprint, jump, and run solid for a couple of hours. I've seen baseball players that nearly have an MI trying to get to first base.

I wonder if many American guys (who are usually fat and out of shape themselves) have trouble identifying with a sport that requires tons of raw fitness? Just a thought.

 

[racerhawk]

Right, and we're in the US.

I always hear the point "LOL but soccers are the most populor sport in the worlds HAHA!"...Yeah, well this is America; we speak American, and don't care about soccer.

Quote of the year. Not sure if you're a genius comedian doing this tongue-in-cheek or a 5th grader.

How's that English class working out for ya?

 

[leiserom]

While an Iowa grad and a big time FB fan, I do like to watch good soccer. the first big match I ever went to was and England/Ireland friendly at Landswone Road in Dublin. It was awesome. have also been to a game at Marancana in Rio and also at Crystal Palace in London. On the biggest stages it is awesome.